The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1887-12-15

reasonable warning, may insist upon
radical and sweeping rectitication
Of their wrongs.
| REVISION OF TIE TARIFF.
The difficulty attending wise and
| fair revision Of our tariff laws is not
underestimate. It will require on
the part oil the Congress great labor
and care and especially broad and
national contemplation of the subject
end . patriotic disregard of such To-
cal and selfish claims as are unreason-
able and reckless Of the welfare Of
the entire country. Under our pes
ent laws more than four thousand ar
ticles are subject to duty. Many Of
these do not in any way compete with
our own manufactures aud many are
hardly worth attention rs subjects of
| revenue. A considerable reduction
can be made in the aggregate by ad-
ding them to the free list. The taxa
tion of luxuries presents no feature
of hardship, but the necessaries OF
life, used and consumed by all the
people, the duty upon which adds to
the cost of living in every home,
should be greatly cheapened.
FREE RAW MATERIAL.
The radical reduction of the duties
imposed upon raw material used in
manufactures, or its free importation,
is of course an important factor in
any effort to reduce the price Of
these necessaries. 1t would not
only relieve them from the in
creased cost caused by tie tariff
on such material, but the manuiac-
tured product being thus cheepened,
that part of the tariff now laid upon
such product as a compensation 20
our manufacturers Ter the present
price OF raw material could be ac-
cordingly modified. SUCH reductions,
or free Importation, would serve, be-
sides, to largely reduce the revenue.
1t is not apparent how such q change
eau have any Injurious effect upon
eur manufacturers. On the contrary
it would appear to give them . bet
ter chance III foreign markets with
the manufacturers OF other countries,
who cheaper their wares by free ma
terial. Thus our people might have
the opportunity Of extending their
sales beyond the limits Of home con-
sumption, saving them from the de-
preston, interruption in business and
loss caused by glQt5ed domestic
market, and afforiing their employees
more certain and steady labor with
its resulting quiet and conteutment.
The question thus mpsratiyeiy pre-
sented for solution should be ap-
! preached in a spirit higher than party
anxiety and considered In the light
OF that regard for patriotic duty
| which should characterize tie ac-
ton of those intrusted with the
veal of confiding people. But the
obligation to declare party policy
and principle is not wanting to
urge prompt and effective action.
Both of the greas political parties
now represented in the government
have by repeated and authoritative
| declarations condemned the condition
| of our laws which permits the col
lection from the people of unneces-
sary revenues and have in the most
solemn manner promised It's correc-
tion, and neither as citizens or politi-
clans are our countrymen in mood
to condoRe the deliberate violation Of
these pledges.
Our progress toward 4 wise concig-
sion will not be improved by dwell
ing on the theories Of protection and
free trade. This 5avors too much Of
bandying epithets. 1t is condition
which comfrOnts Us, not = theory.
The relief from this condition laany
involve slight reduction of the adj
vantages which We award our home
productions, but the entire with
drawal of such advantages should not
be contemplated.
TIE QUESTION OF FREE TRADE H.
RELAVENT.
The question Of free trade is abso-
blutely prevalent and the persistent
claim made in certain quarters that
all Efforts to relieve the people from
unjust and unnecessary taxation are
schemes of SO called free. traders is
mischieyous and far removed from
any consideration for Che public good
The simple and plain duty which we
owe the people to reduce taxa.
tion to the necessary expenses Of an
economlcl operation of the govern
ment and to restore to the business
of the country the money which We
hold in the treasury through the per.
| ~ +nI oSe
things can and should be done will
safety to all industries, without
danger to the opportunity for remu
nerative labor which our workingmeI
need and with benefit to them anC
all our people by cheapening theil
means of subsistence and increasing
the measure of their comforts.
"THE STATE OF THE UNION"
The Constitution provides that th'
President s'shall from time to time
give to Congress information of thu
state of the Union" 1t has beer
the custom of the executive, in com
pliance with this provision, to annu
, ally exhibit to the Congress st to
! opening of It's session the genera
| condition of the country and to detail
t with some particularly the opera
tions Of the different executive de
, partments. 1t would be especiall
t agreeable to follow this course at th
r present time and TO call attention t
: the accomplishments of these depar
: ments during the last fiscal year, 'bu
!, am SO much impressed with th